Joblessness down in Asheville

Economic growth chugs along at 3.9% for the year

9:00 PM,
Apr. 10, 2013

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Unemployment in the metro area dipped to 7.8 percent in February from 8.4 percent in January, and the local economy continued to grow at a 3.9 percent clip for the year.

In Buncombe County, joblessness fell to 7.5 percent in February from 8.1 percent in January. Out of a total workforce of 127,770, some 9,599 remained without full-time jobs in February.

Since a year ago, the Asheville metro area of Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison counties added 6,400 new jobs to a workforce of 172,300 workers, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Commerce. ...